Walter HIDDEN, Providence, RI, b. 1851
Note: I am not researching this family - this is part of a transcription project for the RIGenWeb Rootsweb site,
Beth Hurd, Johnston, RI
from
History of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Biographical
NY: The American Historical Society, Inc.
1920
pp. 133 - 135:
"WALTER HIDDEN--The name of Hidden is found in American Colonial records as early as 1654, when on the vital records of Rowley, Mass., the entry of the marriage of the founder of the line in America is found.Since that early period the family has been prominent in New England, and is allied by marriage with some of the foremost families of that section of the country.The name is particularly well known in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with the latter of which it has been identified for more than one hundred years.Notable figures in the mercantile and public life of the past century were the late James Clifford and Henry Atkins Hidden, members of the Rhode Island family.Both these, influencial and important factors in business and financial circles, were citizens of unimpeachable integrity and worth, whose services in public capacities brought them the honor and love of the city of Providence; they bore well and even added to the heritage of an honored and distinguished name.
(I)Andrew Hidden, immigrant ancestor and founder of the American family of the name, was born about 1620, and is first of record in the American colonies in 1654.He was early a resident of Rowley, Mass., and married there, 7th of 4th month, 1654, Sarah, who died on October 9, 1729, aged about one hundred and three years.Little beyond this is known of Andrew Hidden except that he died February 18, 1702, an old man, according to the records of Rowley.Children:1.Andrew, born 7th month, 1655.2.John, born 16th of 2nd month, 1657.3.Margaret, born 28th of July, 1659.4.Sarah, born Oct. 1, 1661.5.Mary, born 21st of Sept., 1663.6.Elizabeth, born 19th of 12th month, 1665.7.Ann, born 22d of June, 1668.8.Mary, born 21st of July, 1669.9.Andrew (2), born 25th of Aug., 1670.10.Joseph, born 28th of Oct., 1671.11.Samuel, born 16th of July, 1673.12.Ebenezer, mentioned below.
(II)Ebenezer Hidden, son of Andrew and Sarah Hidden, was born at Rowley, Mass., March 7, 1675-76.He married, July 17, 1701, Elizabeth Story, who after his death married (second), April 28, 1757, Hon. John Hobson.They were the parents of the following children:1.Elizabeth, born March 27, 1702.2.Sarah, born Oct. 3, 1703.3.Dorothy, born Sept. 9, 1705.4.Mary, born March 22, 1707-08.5.Ebenezer, born Dec. 6, 1710.6.Jonathan, born Jany. 19, 1712-13.; married in Rehoboth, where he is referred to as a resident, July 18, 1736, Susannah Hart, of that place.7.Edward, mentioned below.8.James, born June 2, 1718.9.Lucy, born April 1, 1722.Jonathan Hidden died at Lake George, Jany. 6, 1756.Ebenezer Hidden died some time prior to Aug. 8, 1748, on which date his will was proved.In it he mentions his wife Elizabeth, and children, Jonathan, Edward, Dorothy, wife of James Sabin, and Lucy, wife of Thomas Elsworth.
(III)Edward Hidden, son of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Story) Hidden, was born April 22, 1716.He married, at Rehoboth, Mass., June 18, 1741, Rachel Sabin.She was born March 21, 1718-19, daughter of Noah Sabin, of Rehoboth.Edward Hidden served as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, and lost his life in the battle of Red Bank.Children, according to the town record of Rehoboth:1.Luce (Lucy), born Feby. 19, 1742.2.James, mentioned below.3.Jonathan, born Nov. 25, 1746.4.Noah, born Dec. 1, 1748.5.Ruth, born April 23, 1752.6.David, born March 21, 1755.7.Hannah.
(IV)James Hidden, son of Edward and Rachel (Sabin) Hidden, was born in Rehoboth, Mass., July 19, 1744.He married (first), Betsey Knowles.He married (second), in Providence, September 10, 1809, Mary Waterman Clifford, born in 1779, daughter of Francis Clifford, and cousin of Betsey Williams, donor of the beautiful Roger Williams Park to the city of Providence.She was a descendant in the fifth generation of Roger Williams.James Hidden resided during the earlier porion of his life in Walpole, Mass., but spent his last years in Providence, where he died prior to December 10, 1818.His widow died in Providence, May 29, 1866, aged eighty-seven years.Children of the first marriage:1.Mary B., died Jany. 4, 1882, aged eighty-one years.2.Susan, married Samuel Butts.3.William.James and Mary Waterman (Clifford) Hidden were the parents of two sons.4.James Clifford, mentioned below.5.Henry Atkins, mentioned below.
(V)James Clifford Hidden, son of James and Mary Waterman (Clifford) Hidden, was born in Walpole, Mass., May 15, 1813.He received his early education in the public schools of Providence, after his father's removal to that city, and later attended the private school of Oliver Angell, and the classical school of Thomas C. Hartshorn.A gifted student, he subsequently prepared for the profession of law and the practice of medicine, but was never actively engaged in either.For a short period of years, after completing his education, Mr. Hidden taught in the schools of Providence.He later became associated with his brother, Henry Atkins Hidden, in the engraving and copper-plate business, purchasing the interest of General Thomas F. Carpenter in the firm of H. A. Hidden & Company.Until 1849 Mr. Hidden remained actively connected with the firm.In this year he disposed of his interests in the business of his brother, and in 1851 purchased a large farm in Attleboro, Mass., where for ten years following he engaged in agriculture.
James Clifford Hidden, prior to his removal to Attleboro, and after his return to the city of Providence, was a prominent and influential figure in its public affairs.He was a well known member of the Whig party, and from 1842 to 1847 was a member of the Common Council of Providence, holding that office again from 1868 to 1869.He was president of that body from 1845 to 1847.For many years he was a representative from Providence in the Lower House of the Rhode Island General Assembly, rendering services of so conspicuously valuable a nature as to make him one of the most popular men in public service in Providence in his day.He held the post of speaker of the House from 1849 to 1851.Mr. Hidden was active in military affairs during the earlier years of his life, and was a member of the First Light Artillery Company of Providence until 1845.In 1842 he served as captain of the First Ward City Guard.
On March 27, 1839, James Clifford Hidden married Eliza Perrin, daughter of Daniel and Eliza Dean Perrin, of Medfield, Mass.She died September 16, 1866, and he married (second), November 27, 1867, Eliza D. Leeman, of Newcastle, Me.Children of the first marriage were six in number.Child of the second marriage:Elizabeth Tower.Mr. Hidden was for many years a member of the Rhode Island Historical Society.He died at his home in Providence.
(V)Henry Atkins Hidden, son of James and Mary Waterman (Clifford) Hidden, was born in Providence, R. I., December 10, 1816.He received his education in the private schools of Providence, and subsequently attended the academy at Leicester, Mass.For a short time after leaving school he was employed in a store in Providence in the capacity of clerk, but at the age of twenty-one years, he entered upon an independent business venture, and launched the firm of H. A. Hidden & Company, in partnership with General Thomas F. Carpenter.Together they started in the engraving and copper-plate printing business, locating in Whitman's block at the junction of Westminster and Weybosset streets, in Providence.The firm met with large success and developed rapidly to great size, handling a large part of the engraving and printing of notes for the State banks.They also engraved the diplomas for Brown University.In 1837 James C. Hidden became a member of the firm, purchasing the interest of General Thomas F. Carpenter.In 1849 he disposed of his holding, however, and from that time onward until the time of its dissolution Henry A. Hidden remained the head of the business and its sole owner.For a long period of time the firm did copper-plate printing for manufacturers and bleachers of cotton goods throughout New England, and through this indirect conncction with the industry Mr. Hidden became interested in it.Previous to 1843 he had become a dealer in cotton and cotton goods.This business eventually increased to such proportions that he abandoned the copper-plate and engraving business, and in 1860 entered the mercantile field, in which he was very successful, becoming one of the largest dealers in print goods, if not the largest, in Rhode Island; the business yielded lucrative returns, and at the time of his death Mr. Hidden was a man of considerable wealth.In 1868 he admitted his sons, Charles H. and Wilkins U. Hidden, as partners, and firm became known as H. A. Hidden & Sons; in 1875 he admitted his son, Walter Hidden.
Henry A. Hidden was well known and prominent in public life in the city of Providence, and although in no sense of the word an office seeker served for two years as a representative in the Rhode Island General Assembly; he also was a member of the Providence Board of Aldermen from 1860 to 1861.He was active in financial circles, and was a corporate member and president of the What Cheer Bank, as well as a director in many corporations of note in the city.For several years he was a member of the Providence Commercial Club, which was formed of the most influential business men in Rhode Island.He was also a charter member of the Providence Board of Trade, and of the Rhode Island Historical Society, which he joined in 1873.
Henry A. Hidden married, in 1839, Abby A. Updike, daughter of Hon. Wilkins and Abby A. (Watson) Updike (see Updike VI).Mr. and Mrs. Hidden were the parents of the following children:1.Charles Henry, mentioned below.2.Wilkins Updike, mentioned below.3.Walter, mentioned below.Henry A. Hidden died at his home in Providence, R. I., August 7, 1899.
(VI)Charles Henry Hidden, son of Henry A. and Abby A. (Updike) Hidden, was born September 12, 1840, and died May 22, 1907.He was a graduate of Brown University in the class of 1861, and in 1862 went to the front as a private in Company D, Tenth Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry.In 1868 he became a member of the firm of Henry A. Hidden & Sons, and continued in connction with the business until his death.He waswell known and prominent in business circles.He was a member of several clubs, among then the University Club, of New York, and the Hope Club, Agawam Hunt Club, and Squantum Association of Providence.
(VI)Wilkins Updike Hidden, son of Henry A. and Abby A. (Updike) Hidden, was born December 25, 1842.He was graduated from Brown University in the class of 1865, and in 1868 was admitted to partnership with his father in the firm of H. A. Hidden & Sons.In recent years he has been retired from active business life.Mr. Hidden is a member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity.
(VI)Walter Hidden, son of Henry A. and Abby A. (Updike) Hidden, was born April 19, 1851.He received his elementary education at the Mount Pleasant Institute, later becoming a student at the famous St. Paul's School, of Concord, N. H.Completing his studies, he identified himself immediately with his father's business, and in 1875 became a member of the firm of H. A. Hidden & Sons.Mr. Hidden has always been an ardent sportsman, and a lover of out-door life.His hunting and fishing tours have covered the notable game preserves of the United States, Canada and Europe.He is a member of the Audubon Society, and a strong advocate of the preservation and conservation of bird life in America.Mr. Hidden is also widely known in club circles in the city of Providence.He was for several years president of the Squantum Association, and of the Hope Club, and for fiveyears was president of the Agawam Hunt Club.He retains active membership in all the foregoing and is also a member of the Rhode Island Country Club.By virtue of descent he is a member of the Society of Colonial Wars.A man of scolarly tastes, a lover of the fine arts, widely traveled, and a true cosmopolitan, Mr. Hidden represents a type which commercialism is rapidly eliminating -- the well rounded, courteous, affable gentleman of the old school.
On October 12, 1897, Mr. Hidden married Mrs. Kate Holmes Anthony Hoppin, daughter of Henry A. and Kate L. Heiser.They are the parents of one daughter, Mary Updike, born September 25, 1903."
see following biographical sketch of the UPDIKE family.
illustration on facing page:
photo:Henry A. Hidden
from the RI Historical Cemeteries Database Index:
HIDDEN, BETSEY (KNOWLES) 1773c -2 OCT 1808PV001
HIDDEN, MARY B1800-4 JAN 1882PV001
HIDDEN, JAMES CLIFFORD1812- 12 JUN 1889PV001
HIDDEN, HENRY ATKINS1816-7 AUG 1899PV003
HIDDEN, ABBY ANTONIA (UPDIKE*) 1815- 11 SEP 1891 PV003
HIDDEN, CHARLES HENRY1840- 22 MAY 1907PV003
HIDDEN, WILKINS UPDIKE1842- 11 NOV 1915PV003
HIDDEN, WALTER1851-7 OCT 1929PV003
+HIDDEN, KATE HOLMES1873-9 APR 1950PV003
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Re: Walter HIDDEN, Providence, RI, b. 1851
Greg Brownell 3/18/03